Last January, she stood on her second-floor balcony, pointed to foundations where homes once stood and counted off the number of people who died when a vicious tsunami wave swallowed her village. (Editor’s note: On Dec. 26, 2004, a massive earthquake in the Indian Ocean spawned one of the most destructive tsunamis in recorded history. It swept away thousands of lives and left millions of people homeless. One year later, Southern Baptists continue to aid and share God’s love with survivors in South Asia.) Last January, she stood on her second-floor balcony, pointed to foundations where homes once stood and counted off the number of people who died when a vicious tsunami wave swallowed her village. “At that house, two women died,” she recalled. “At that one, a man died. At that house, one woman died.” Then Jenat*, a 33-year-old mother of two, went to the only thing remaining in her home – an altar to Buddha – and gave him glory for saving those who lived. “I am Buddhist, and I am very happy because we saved a lot of people,” she said. “We were praying to Buddha.” That was her response to the tsunami in 2004. Today, Jenat is a vibrant follower of Jesus Christ who understands that He alone has the power … [Read more...]

In 1999, wife Lean and I were on the way to the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Melbourne, Australia. We had overcome the Y2K millennium fears to board the plane and head south by southwest. We had a stopover in New Zealand to visit with Baptists in that island country. By Lynn P. Clayton LBM Editor In 1999, wife Lean and I were on the way to the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Melbourne, Australia. We had overcome the Y2K millennium fears to board the plane and head south by southwest. We had a stopover in New Zealand to visit with Baptists in that island country. We had a wonderful time touring various parts of New Zealand, visiting with Baptist leaders and attending a Baptist church’s worship. We were actually so busy that we forgot that the millennium sunrise was only a night away. It dawned upon us that New Zealand would be the first nation of size to view the millennium sunrise – the name given to the first sunrise of the new millennium – and we were on the east shore of the island to see it, first of the first. Some folks had predicted there would be no millennium sunrise because the earth would be destroyed at 12:01 a.m., Jan. 1, 2000, so we wanted to prove them wrong. And, it was just a … [Read more...]

Week of January 2, 2006 Potpourri HAUGHTON –  Koran  church: The Calvary Boys and Southern Harmony Boys in concert; Jan. 14, 7 p.m.; George Rogers, pastor. RUSTON – Cook church: Conflict Management Seminar; Jan. 16, 6:30-9 p.m.; Bob Shefield, guest speaker; $10 fee payable at the door; Mike Holloway, pastor. EUNICE – Acadian center: Men’s retreat; Jan. 20, 6 p.m. registration - Jan. 21, after lunch; $40 per person; to register, call (337) 457-9047; James Newsom, camp manager. Staff Changes Pastors LIVONIA – Jim Bain to Faith church as interim pastor. Youth JONESBORO – First church: Associational youth revival; Jan. 15-18, 7 p.m.; Robbie Robison, guest speaker; Broken Vessel, musical guest; Matthew D. Wohlfarth, pastor. Revivals ROBELINE – First church: Jan. 15-18, 7 p.m.; Jack Daniels, evangelist; Bryan Ray, pastor. Retirements COLUMBIA – Columbia Heights church: Bruce McGee retires Jan. 8 after pastoring the church for almost nine years and serving a total of 25 years in ministry. Ordinations ZACHARY – First church: Dennis Kirby and Robert Ballard to the deacon’s ministry; Jan. 8, 6 p.m.; Reggie Bridges, pastor. Available DEVILLE – Donald Lemons available for supply and interim pastorate; can … [Read more...]

Red beans and rice. The meal is a weekly staple on New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary’s main campus – something school administrators, professors and staff members have missed during their time of displacement in Decatur, Ga. Red beans and rice. The meal is a weekly staple on New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary’s main campus – something school administrators, professors and staff members have missed during their time of displacement in Decatur, Ga. That changed on Dec. 14 when seminary alum Nelson Price came to the seminary’s North Georgia Campus with two large pots of the Louisiana delicacy that he and his wife, Trudy, spent the morning (and much of the day before) preparing. “Having lived in New Orleans so long, I know New Orleans is famous for its red beans,” Price said. “With dear friends being displaced from there, I thought perhaps their palettes might be appealed to by red beans and rice. “I wanted the joy of trying to revive those memories for them.” Price, a Mississippi native, learned to cook red beans and rice during the years he studied and served in Louisiana. He initially moved to Louisiana to attend Southeastern Louisiana University where he starred on the school’s basketball … [Read more...]

Although more than 10,000 Southern Baptist churches didn’t baptize a single person in 2004, there’s no real secret to seeing new believers stir the waters of the baptistery, says a pastor who baptized 29 on a recent Sunday evening. Although more than 10,000 Southern Baptist churches didn’t baptize a single person in 2004, there’s no real secret to seeing new believers stir the waters of the baptistery, says a pastor who baptized 29 on a recent Sunday evening. When people have “experienced the power of the Gospel personally ... they want to share that with others,” says Jeff LaBorg, pastor of College Heights Baptist Church in Gallatin, Tenn. New believers, he notes, are the fruit of soul-winning by church members who “love the Word of God and have been taught by exposition and example from their leaders that soul-winning is a requirement and not an elective.” College Heights members “love everybody that comes through the door, regardless of appearance, affluence, or economic status,” says LaBorg. “On Sunday, they flood the altar with tears and intercession, and then they go out and pursue the very ones they have been praying for. They are bold about sharing their own testimonies of how Christ changed their … [Read more...]

When Southern Baptist Convention President Bobby Welch called for a baptism emphasis in churches across the nation to be held last year, the event happened to coincide with a milestone at a congregation where evangelism has become second nature to most members. When Southern Baptist Convention President Bobby Welch called for a baptism emphasis in churches across the nation to be held last year, the event happened to coincide with a milestone at a congregation where evangelism has become second nature to most members. “This church has been evangelistic for many years in that they were one of the first churches to start using the FAITH evangelism training,” says Michael Cloer, pastor of Englewood Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, N.C. Cloer explained that the previous pastor died of cancer at age 40, and for eight months the church was without a pastor. However, the congregation still baptized 67 people because they are intentionally evangelistic. “It has nothing to do with me; it’s what God was doing through them before I got here,” explains Cloer, who began leading Englewood in August 2000. The church hit its 1,000 mark in total baptisms under the new pastor’s leadership the very day they participated in … [Read more...]

A brash Hollywood actor with a boyish smile and slim tailored suits may not seem the first source ordinary folks seek out for psychiatric advice. A brash Hollywood actor with a boyish smile and slim tailored suits may not seem the first source ordinary folks seek out for psychiatric advice. Yet who could miss Tom Cruise in the past year, swinging through the news, spinning off from movie promotion to set us straight about the motives of doctors who treat mental illness? “Here’s the problem; you don’t know the history of psychiatry,” he told “Today” host Matt Lauer last summer. “I do.” Cruise is a Scientologist. He and other supporters of the celebrity-rich religious organization that science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard launched in 1954 share a noisy antagonism toward mental health physicians. Church members refer to them as pseudo-scientists. Cruise and fellow members say prescribing drugs for mental illness is spurious, even dangerous, and only enriches doctors and drug companies. Illnesses for which drugs are common therapy range from postpartum and other forms of depression to attention deficit disorder, bipolar disease and schizophrenia. There’s much more to Scientology than rejecting … [Read more...]

When Cole Elbridge stood to accept the village leader’s appreciation, he did so on behalf of Southern Baptists who have given nearly $17 million to help survivors of the tsunami that ripped through southern Asia’s coastlines on Dec. 26, 2004, leaving a quarter of a million people dead and millions homeless. (Editors’ note: On Dec. 26, 2004, a massive earthquake in the Indian Ocean spawned one of the most destructive tsunamis in recorded history. It swept away thousands of lives and left millions of people homeless. One year later, Southern Baptists continue to aid and share God’s love with survivors in South Asia.) When Cole Elbridge stood to accept the village leader’s appreciation, he did so on behalf of Southern Baptists who have given nearly $17 million to help survivors of the tsunami that ripped through southern Asia’s coastlines on Dec. 26, 2004, leaving a quarter of a million people dead and millions homeless. Elbridge, a Southern Baptist worker, explained how supporters in America had been deeply troubled by the images and were moved to help. Their love for God had moved Southern Baptists to love the tsunami victims, he said, and he shared with the villagers about the true love of God for them in the … [Read more...]

Silva wants his daughter to remember Dec. 26, 2004, to know for certain her young life is a miracle for which he is forever grateful. Silva wants his daughter to remember Dec. 26, 2004, to know for certain her young life is a miracle for which he is forever grateful. “I want her to know how her mother (saved) her in the tsunami – not her father, because I was away,” he says. Having worked the past six years in Saudi Arabia, Silva, 32, had been home only once for a short visit after his daughter’s birth. That changed Dec. 26, when a friend called to ask whether he had heard about the tsunami. He hadn’t. “Whatever I earned, everything was gone in five minutes” to support his family back home, he explains. “I am keeping positive hopes that it will come back. Not overnight, it will take time, but I am hoping God will help me.” Silva’s wife, Ranjani*, tried to outrun the tsunami waves while carrying their only child, a 17-month-old daughter. The force of the waves proved too strong for her, as rushing, murky water covered the earth beneath her feet. The mother and daughter fell into a shallow well. Ranjani struggled to get out of the well, crying out for those around her to help. But in the frenzy of panic, … [Read more...]

Nelson Philpot believes the world is in a crisis and the next 50 years are crucial if the earth’s population will be fed. By Brian Blackwell LBM Newswriter Nelson Philpot believes the world is in a crisis and the next 50 years are crucial if the earth’s population will be fed. The statistics don’t lie. Fifty percent of all persons – 3 billion overall – suffer from malnutrition. Each hour, 2,000 persons die from hunger or hunger-related diseases. He says the solution isn’t “food giveaway programs,” but rather ventures that empower those persons to meet their own physical needs. For its part, one Louisiana Baptist organization is doing its part in the battle to fight world hunger. “Funding agricultural missions is the best kept secret of Baptists,” says Nelson Philpot, president of the Louisiana Agricultural Fellowship. “The Agricultural fellowship is a way to win the lost to Christ. “It’s an effective way to put a caring face on Christianity,” he adds. “We can’t solve all the problems associated with hunger, but we can do our part as an organization to solve a few.” The five-year-old organization’s goal is  to promote Christian services by agricultural professionals in support of the … [Read more...]